Nor'West News: January 14, 2020

NOR’WEST NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Tuesday January 14 2020 7
News
Plunge ‘as cold as it was 50 years ago’
• By Philip Chandler and
Georgia O’Connor-Harding
FIFTY YEARS after ushering in
the 1970s by jumping into Lake
Wakatipu and blowing his bugle,
Bishopdale’s Robin Bickley
returned to Queenstown to
welcome the new decade in the
same quirky fashion.
After accepting the challenge
from Queenstown mate Lawrence
McSkimming, Mr Bickley,
an MC for the city council’s
monthly citizenship ceremonies,
said: “I tell you what, the water is
as cold as it was 50 years ago.”
“My friends down there put
me up to it. They said come on
it has been 50 years, you need to
celebrate this anniversary,” Mr
Bickley said.
Mr Bickley recalled jumping
off the pier three New Year’s eves
in a row, but he entered the water
more sedately this time.
“There was some trepidation,
after all I am now 75 years old.
But I considered myself fully fit
and accepted it,” he said.
While Mr Bickley entered
the lake alone, he had a “huge”
crowd to cheer him on.
He said it wasn’t taking the
plunge in Lake Wakatipu which
was the attraction – it was being
able to go into the lake playing
the bugle.
Once in the lake, he again
played Reveille on the same wellworn
bugle, with strings hanging
off it, that has accompanied him
almost his whole life.
“It was originally from the
Southland Boys’ High School
brass band or bugle band.”
A lot has happened since Mr
Bickley first jumped into Lake
Wakatipu in 1970.
Born and raised in Riverton,
he went on to study a Bachelor of
Arts at Otago University, before
moving to Christchurch to study
teaching for a year.
CHILLY: Bishopdale’s Robin Bickey ushers in 1970 and 2020
by blowing his bugle in Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown, in these
two photos taken 50 years apart.
His first teaching job was at
Whakatane High School.
In 1969, Mr Bickley travelled
to Canada to teach for one year
before moving to Thailand in
1970.
Initially, he taught English
before becoming a training consultant
for the Thailand Ministry
of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
His role involved helping
Thailand government offices to
design effective training programmes
for their staff members
to work in agriculture development.
In 1991, Mr Bickley, his wife
and two children moved to
Christchurch, where he went on
to work for the city council for
14 years.
He worked as an employment
co-ordinator in human resources
with his role involving advertising
job vacancies, collating job
applications and distributing
documents.
About 20 years ago, Mr Bickley
offered to MC the city council’s
citizenship committees – and
has been in the role ever since.
He now works as a freelance
professional translator and
interpreter.
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